When a laptop breaks, the question isn't just 'can it be fixed?' but 'should it be?' Here's how we help customers decide.
The 50% rule of thumb
If a repair costs more than about half the price of a comparable new laptop, replacement often makes more sense. It's not a hard rule — a high-end laptop or a MacBook may be worth more to repair — but it's a good starting point.
Age matters
Laptops around six or seven years old and older may struggle with current software, may not support the latest operating system, and are likely to need other repairs soon. A new battery in a four-year-old laptop is usually a great investment; a new motherboard in a nine-year-old one rarely is.
Is it the hardware or just slow?
Many 'old and slow' laptops have a healthy processor and are held back by a mechanical hard drive. An SSD upgrade can make them feel new for a fraction of the cost of replacement.
Don't forget your data
Whichever way you go, your files come first. If you're replacing, plan the transfer before the old laptop gets worse. If it won't turn on, data recovery may still be possible.
- Repair: device under ~5 years old, single fault, good overall condition.
- Upgrade: healthy but slow, with a hard drive or low memory.
- Replace: old, multiple faults, or repair cost close to replacement value.